I finally got my coworker’s TX650 and wanted to share my first impressions with you, before I submit the full review:

Pros:

- Original battery is not sticking out as much as the T series, although runs warmer
- Touchpad is very comfortable
- Screen is “brighter” than my T, and the 80 pixels don’t make that much of a difference but the extra inch does.
- The Bluetooth is 2.0
- Speakers are good.
- The volume/mute buttons are propertly located and cannot be pushed as easy as the Ts

Cons:

-The Laptop is running at 65C right out the box @600Mhz and 80C @1200Mhz
- The extended battery is useless. It tilts the whole laptop at about 35 degrees and lifts the back at least two more inches. It is very uncomfortable to work on the machine while this battery is installed… imagine how it would be when you have to move it around it.
- The keyboard is similar to the TR’s keyboard. Very spongy and annoying. I will try to swap it with my T’s keyboard, just so I can see if it will work.
- The screen ... very cold colors by default. Lacks red. I had to adjust it a little bit. Easy to scratch, easy to break.
- The fan is loud, similar to a S running at 46C. You know its there. It gets louder also.
- The DVD-ROM button is useless, unless you have claws
- The WWAN antenna is easy to bend, easy to move, almost to the point it is not right.
- The PCMCIA slot is hard to reach, not to mention that its close to impossible to get the insert out.
- The modem jack is located on the front left, while the usb is on the back left. That makes no sense at all.

In your opinion, is it worth to abandon T350 for TX650 in any case ?

he doesnt’ sound like a big fan

It uses a PCMCIA insert? Wow! That’s so 90s!

Sony (and Apple) used to be the only ones not using an insert. It’s sad to hear they’re actually reverting and using an insert. My first Sony notebook in 2000 (SR7K) didn’t even have an insert. It had the nifty cover. That’s kind of sad.

note to your post groovy..

my F590 and previous sony laptop used to use insert and that was 99/2000 model.

Gilbert’s points are all bang on.  In my case, I sold my T250 to buy a TX (we don’t have T350s in Canada).  I know of another gentleman who sold his TX and kept a T250.  So it really depends on what you are looking for, and whether the incremental improvements are worth it for you to upgrade.

For me, the reason why I decided to go with the TX is as follows:
- Linux AV instant boot mode—great for watching DVDs without worrying about the HD being accessed (and laptop being bumped)—i.e. watching DVDs on a road trip or something
- 16:9 ratio—again, great for movies, woot!
- lighter (yes, .2-.3 lbs makes a difference to me and I can feel it when I’m holding the laptops)
- slightly smaller profile

The thinks that cause me to scratch my head include:
- the infamous fan—but I am usually not in a super quiet environment so I deal with it
- T250 is much more solid feeling
- battery is warmer as Gilbert mentioned, though I guess this is the tradeoff for the battery doesn’t stick out as much
- SD slot has no protective flap or dummy card—my Dell X1 does

For the keyboard, I’m indifferent on the spongy feeling, as it means that the keys are quieter, though the fan is louder

Guest,

I was quite busy for the last couple of weeks and hadn’t had the time to write the whole review. I’ve reinstalled the TX650 and handed it back, so there will be no photos in the review.

The temperature is quite different from the original T.

My T goes from 48C @600Mhz to 55C@1200Mhz, compared to 65-80/81 on the TX.

I believe the airflow/heat distribution is all screwed on the TX, due to the battery being deeper inside.

Overall the laptop is ligher and has slightly smaller footprint, although there are way too many annoying “improvements”

The DVD/Eject Button
The Heat
The Fan
The USB cover/door
The PCMCIA slot/insert (The Wireless Card that comes with the X505 will NOT fit inside this slot due to the curvy design above it)
The Propriatary InstantON feature. I was hoping that they would build something on a flash chip or something and will be non-os dependent, but well…
The annoying keyboard. It is as bad as the TR, even if not worse.
The default color gamma is all screwed. The lack of bright red is present in three TX’es, I’ve seen so far.
The WAN antenna ... either rip it/cut it or put some tape on it… It irritates the hell out of me.
The possition of the IEEE 1394 and the USB ports…

It is definetely not worth upgrading just so you can get a laptop which is slightly ligher (100grams) and 80pixels more than the original T.

I will skip the TX series without even questioning it…

If I was considering between the T and TX, I would easily go with the T or look for an alternative brand like the new fujitsu.

LoL gilbert, seems the new tx really SUXX ?  :D

It seems obvious that some of the “outbursts” of opinions about the TX are more emotionally and seemingly irrationally based. I would like to read some more neutral experiences and evaluation of the TX.

Morten Andersen

All I can say is wow!  Just got my 610TX yesturday and I absolutely love it.  Battery life is really what they say.  And what’s all this smack about fan noise??  What fan noise??  Seriously I had to turn off my desktop computer and try real hard to even hear the fan in my office.  Maybe some guys just have better hearing that I do   or perhaps my TX was one of the new shipments that they have fixed.

One thing that I did notice is when viewing DVD’s in widescreen there is still some black areas on the top /bottom of the screen.  I had the assumption that it would fill the entire screen and be true 16:9.  This isn’t the case so far.  I guess this is the wrong thread for that however.  I’ll shut up for now.  :D

[quote author=“Gilbert”]
-The Laptop is running at 65C right out the box @600Mhz and 80C @1200Mhz

I’m surprised this sweet little computer gets so hot at low Mhz.  Not even my S gets up to 80C while playing demanding games. 

On my S:

45C @600Mhz
71C @1700Mhz